Telemann was a prolific composer, so you might expect to find a few turkeys
among his output; if that is the case, I have yet to discover them. The three
works on this CD come from section 55 of his complete works (TWV: Telemann
Werke-Verzeichnis), the Overtures or Overture-Suites as they are sometimes
called. Only the final work, the Overture in a minor for recorder and strings
is well known – it is, indeed, perhaps the best known of his orchestral works,
with the possible exception of his so-called Water Music, with several
recordings to its credit. Whether or not it was a good idea to couple it with
two much less familiar works remains a matter for speculation, though I can
see that it would help to make the album more likely to sell, with the additional
advantage of making two other Overtures – both well worth hearing – better
known.

The a-minor Suite is, in fact, one of the best-known and most important works
of the baroque period; it’s available on a number of less expensive recordings,
which means that the new recording will have to be special to be recommendable
when it reverts, as I imagine that it will, to full price. At the time of
writing, however, it comes at a budget price, bundled with CPO’s catalogue,
which makes it competitive economically. Around £5 seems to be the target
price.

I have taken two inexpensive versions as my benchmarks: Peter Holtslag with
the Parley of Instruments/Roy Goodman on Hyperion Helios CDH55091, coupled
with two concertos and a Sinfonia in F, and Daniel Rothert with the Cologne
Chamber Orchestra/Helmut Müller-Brühl on Naxos 8.554018, with three other
recorder/flute concertos. The older Naxos recording, with the Capella Istropolitana,
on 8.550156, also holds its place in the catalogue.

The Hyperion offers a wonderfully fleet-footed account of the Suite, with
some superb playing from Holtslag and a light-toned accompanying ensemble
– a little too light-toned for some reviewers, though that is not a view to
which I subscribe.

Carin van Heerden is a versatile and accomplished soloist/director, equally
at home on the recorder, the fourth flute, here used as the equivalent of
Telemann’s ‘pastoral flute’, and the oboe. Her playing on all three solo instruments
is appealing and she is ably abetted by Wolfgang Dey in the Suite for two
oboes. L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra is a small ensemble – for this recording,
three each of first and second violins, two each of violas and cellos, double
bass, oboe, bassoon and harpsichord. It’s clear that they play authentic instruments
or copies, but no details of these are given in the booklet, nor is there
any indication of their chosen pitch or tuning temperament.

I chose to listen to the new recording before I reacquainted myself with the
opposition; it is, indeed, some time since I listened to any recording of
this work. My first impression was that van Heerden rather takes her time
over the Overture, with a stately opening, though matters improve with
the entry of the solo recorder. Nevertheless, the impression that I should
prefer a slightly faster tempo continued throughout the movement, even before
I checked the comparative timings on the rival recordings and found the CPO
to be the slowest by a margin and just a little too deliberate in places–
a minute longer than the Cologne version and two minutes longer than the Hyperion.

In fact, forgetting other versions is more easily said than done. The impression
throughout the remaining movements of the Suite that van Heerden’s tempi were
consistently a little slow by comparison with Holtslag and Goodman is easily
confirmed by comparing the booklets. Time and time again, of course, we discover
that a particular movement can be made to sound ‘right’ at different tempi
within the context of particular performances. There are, indeed, some real
advantages to van Heerden’s more deliberate tempi: the contrast between the
largo and allegro sections of the third movement, the air
à l’Italien, are given full justice, as are the stately sections of the
minuet in the following movement. The disadvantage is that only in the fifth
movement, Réjouissance, marked viste, does the joy inherent
in Telemann’s music make itself fully apparent. In the penultimate movement,
Passepied, where the Hyperion is a little rushed, and the final movement,
Polonaise, the slightly slower tempo on CPO allows for some beautifully
elegant phrasing, the equal of which is not to be found on the livelier Hyperion
version or on the Cologne/Naxos.

I don’t wish to make too much of my reservations concerning van Heerden’s
tempi – it’s to some extent a matter of swings and roundabouts and I’m sure
that I shall play the new CD almost as often as the earlier recordings – but,
if pushed to make a Desert Island choice, I think I might prefer the Hyperion,
with the Naxos/Cologne recording my second choice.

The older Naxos recording, with Jiri Stivin and the Capella Istropolitana
conducted by Richard Edlinger (8.550156) is to some extent hors de combat,
since it adopts a rather cavalier attitude to repeats, thereby almost halving
the Overture and the final Polonaise. That’s a pity because
in some ways this is my favourite version, with really infectious enjoyment
in Les plaisirs and Réjouissance and elegant phrasing to challenge
van Heerden’s in the finale. This is one of Naxos’s earliest recordings, dating
from the time when they couldn’t even print the letter r and had to write
the accent in by hand. They took unknown orchestras like the Capella Istropolitana
and made them sound great by giving them plenty of rehearsal time.

With recording quality which still sounds well, three recommendable works
as coupling, a Viola Concerto in G and two concertos from Tafelmusik,
generous playing time from a period (1988) when some CDs were still very short,
and with brief but authoritative notes from Keith Anderson, who still contributes
some of their best, this would pip even the Hyperion at the post if it weren’t
for those omitted repeats. I can even hear the harpsichord contribution –
just audible, as it should be, and as it isn’t on most modern recordings.

I’ve spent a considerable time on the a-minor because it’s so well known and
there are so many alternatives. With no other versions to compare, even in
memory as far as I am aware, I liked the performances of the other two concertos
much better. Both Suites are attractive, but, as I said at the start, I have
yet to discover a dud among Telemann’s works. Subscribers to the Naxos Music
Library who want to try the music for themselves might listen to the Gigue
Finale of TWV55:Es2 – click here.
(Once you have logged in, the link will take you to the correct page.)

At its current very favourable price, it might well be worthwhile to buy the
new CD for these two works alone and, despite all that I’ve written, you’re
unlikely to be seriously disappointed by the performance of the a-minor Suite.

The recording is good throughout, with soloist and accompaniment well balanced
and with both well placed for comfortable listening. The harpsichordist is
credited in the booklet, but I could hear his contribution only intermittently,
even on headphones, though the other continuo instruments are (just) audible,
as they should be.

The information on the rear insert confuses the timings of the first and third
Suites – perhaps it was the original intention to place the familiar a-minor
first, an impression heightened by the fact that the instruments listed on
page 5 of the booklet for tracks 1-7 and 16-22 are also reversed. Otherwise
the presentation is good. The notes are detailed and informative; the English
translation is a little stiff and formal, but that partly reflects the German
original. Full marks to CPO for giving us the TWV numbers, when even Hyperion,
whose information is usually fastidious, leave us to guess.

Not my ideal version of the well-known a-minor Suite, then, but not one to
be rejected, either. The standard of the performance in the other two attractive
works would make this a worthwhile purchase.